Smooth Jazz Therapy

U-Nam - Hear, My Dear - Featuring Magdalena Chovancova

 

With a tongue in cheek nod to Marvin Gaye and his 1978 track ‘Here,My Dear’, writer, producer and guitarist extraordinaire Emmanuel “U-Nam” Abiteboul has again come up big with his own composition ‘Hear, My Dear’.  Shimmering with a Barry White style vibe, and top-notch sax from Magdalena Chovancova, itis the latest single to be lifted from his up coming Skytown Records release ‘Call Me Saxy’ which finds him teaming with an exciting all female line-up of sax players.

Ron King - Groovin' On Down

Chances are that if you know popular music then you will know Ron King.  His playing on trumpet has graced a plethora of recordings from some of music’s brightest stars, a list that includes George Benson, Ricki Lee Jones, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis and Marvin Gaye to name only a few.  In addition he has performed on shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (and later Jay Leno) and the Grammy Awards.

His new single, ‘Groovin' On Down’ is produced by hit-maker extraordinaire Paul Brown who also performs on guitar and percussion.

Nice Track

WaKaNa - I Told You So

As smooth as anything currently around ‘I Told You So’ from Japanese saxophonist WaKaNa is taken from her latest album, the aptly titled ‘Saxcess Story’.  Co-written and produced by keyboard player Greg Manning the track also includes the ubiquitous Adam Hawley on guitar, and Eric Valentine on drums.

Following on the heels of the critically acclaimed title cut this is the second single from this choice CD.

Johnny Britt - Highway 10

Released in 2018, and already boasting the distinctly moody title cut that has proved to be totally radio ready, ‘So Hot’ by Johnny Britt is an album that checks all the right boxes. Much the same can be said of the latest track to be lifted from it, the smooth, velvety ‘Highway 10’.  It is a song that takes its name from Interstate Highway 10, which stretches from Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, CA all the way across the USA to Florida.  As such it is possibly the ultimate ‘driving with the top down’ kind of a song.

Contemporary jazz fans will know singer, songwriter, producer, trumpeter and arranger Johnny Brittfor his contributions to the classic Boney JamesCD, ‘Contact’.  Others may recall his work with the likes of Josh Groban, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, The Temptations, Maxwell, Peabo Bryson, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Norman Conners, Aaron Neville, Harvey Mason Jr. and Marcus Miller while film buffs are likely to remember his name in connection with blockbusters such as Ides Of March, The Lion King, Forest Gump and Spiderman 3.

Walter Beasley - It's Alright

After making a splash in 2018 with the stunning ‘The Best of Walter Beasley’ this saxophonist, vocalist, educator, and entrepreneur is back with his latest CD, ‘Going Home’, that will be released April 19 on his own Affable Records label.

The projects' first single, ‘It's Alright’, is written by Beasley and produced by Phil Davis and John Roberts.  It is the sort of rhythmic easy grooving cut with which Beasley has made his name and, along the way, become the biggest selling full-time Professor in history.

Art Sherrod Jr - Tighten Up

‘Back 2 Business’ is the fourth studio album from the always-excellent Art Sherrod Jr.  In fact Sherrod has been on the Smooth Jazz Therapy radar since 2009 and the release of his highly regarded CD ‘Seasons’.  ‘Back 2 Business’, finds him again weaving his special brand of sax driven magic and having already delivered ‘Side Step’ and the easy grooving ‘So In Love’ to radio he is about to go ‘three for three’ with the splendid ‘Tighten Up’.

Co-written and produced by Chris "Big Dog" Davis this is Art doing what Art does best.

Great track

Pete Belasco - Rubber Ball

When, last year, ‘Strong & Able’ from Pete Belasco hit the airwaves it proved, for those new to his music, to be a complete revelation.  With a vocal style that made comparisons with Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield impossible not to make, this sultry cut was right on the money.

Consequently it is astonishing, but totally true, to say that the follow up, ‘Rubber Ball’ is even better.  Indeed, for those who grew up to, danced to and made love to albums such as Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’  ‘Away We A Go-Go’ then this will be nostalgia central.  For others who are discovering Belasco for the first time it is a reminder that superbly produced and executed soul music never, ever, gets old.

Billboard Magazine has referred to Belasco as one of a number of new artists responsible for the re-emergence of what it describes as the soul music movement.  In fact the multi talented Belasco made his debut in 1997 with ‘Get It Together’, which at the time, was described as a “brilliant example of R&B, blues and jazz fusion”. In fact these comments corresponded with the release of Belasco’s 2004 sophomore CD, ‘Deeper’ which, with original compositions such as ‘Hurry Hurry’, ‘Keep On’ and ‘Wonderful Woman’, garnered considerable interest in both the USA and the United Kingdom.  Seven years later Belasco was back with the critically acclaimed ‘Lights On’.

Norman Brown - The Highest Act Of Love

Often compared to George Benson, the always-excellent Norman Brown has been effortlessly fusing the finer elements of jazz, R & B, pop and blues for the past twenty years. In so doing he has created his own instantly identifiable musicology that has just been added to by the sensational ‘The Highest Act Of Love’ which was released February 22 on the Shanachie Entertainment label.